Series premiere review: ‘Ben and Kate’ – ‘Pilot’

I reviewed FOX’s “Ben and Kate” yesterday. Now it’s your turn. For those of you who watched tonight (or in one of its many online preview windows over the last few weeks), what did you think? Did you like the sibling chemistry between Nat Faxon and Dakota Johnson? Did you find it funny? Do you also want to draw attention to your mouth? And will you watch again?

Liked both best friends and the kid but found the episode awfully boring and unfunny.

By: Dr. Gross

09.26.2012 @ 1:25 AM

Very promising.

By: Ben&KateCanSuckIt

09.26.2012 @ 1:33 AM

I thought it was one of the worst TV shows I’ve ever seen.
There wasn’t anything funny about it. The main guy was borderline retarded, even though that wasn’t what they were going for.
I’m shocked it made it to air.

By: Atta

09.26.2012 @ 1:39 AM

I thought it was terrible. What on earth about this show was promising or had potential?

By: JB

09.26.2012 @ 1:59 AM

It’s okay. Not very funny and they really need to tone the brother down but it has potential. I’ll check out the second ep.

By: Prettok

09.26.2012 @ 2:29 AM

I liked it, but the age difference between the brother and sister is pretty obvious. Nat Faxon and Dakota Johnson are the same ages respectively as Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy over on Suburgatory.

By: adam

09.26.2012 @ 2:37 AM

absolutely the worst television show I’ve seen. I found myself just uncomfortable because of the jokes that tried way too hard.

By: 123

09.26.2012 @ 2:40 AM

Liked the actors, but the found the plot irritating – she dumps a guy she’s not even dating for seeing another woman and then goes to break up a wedding because her brother is in love with a girl that he treated awfully?

By: Comment

09.26.2012 @ 3:31 AM

Worst pilot ever. Maybe even worse than Whitney.

By: Guest

09.26.2012 @ 3:33 AM

Painful to get through. My dog could’ve written a better script. Lord knows he’d be more compelling to watch than the entire cast of this show.

By: Gogurt

09.26.2012 @ 3:36 AM

Nat Faxon is simply not likeable.

By: Dan Whitney

09.26.2012 @ 3:43 AM

She’s a single-mother waitress who owns a home in the suburbs and drives a volvo. That’s how out-of-touch this show is.

By: TL

09.26.2012 @ 11:27 PM

@Dan Whitney
Every comedy is implausible. Can Jeff really become a lawyer by going to a community college for four years? Does anyone think Leslie would really win an election like that? Gloria getting knocked up by Al Bundy? Michael Scott keeping his job in spite of his ineptitude? People actually liking Max or Jules? A grown man in a dog suit? Louis CK always dating hot women? Yes, B&K strained believably, but that’s what every sitcom does so don’t just call this show out for it.

By: Shelley

11.08.2012 @ 7:42 AM

Totally agree. Very unappealing with those fangs as well.

By: Scott Rosenberg

09.26.2012 @ 6:54 AM

Unlike Alan and Dan, I found this to be both funnier and demonstrate more potential than The Mindy Project did. All three members of the Fox family have a several inches to grow in the innate charisma department; it didn’t click and pop from the start, but there’s a clear point of view, an innate warmth, and while most of the Ben gags just didn’t work, there was humor that did land in a few different ways. Echo Kellum was a perfect fit and incredibly funny in what little he was given to do. I was not nearly as taken by Lucy Punch’s BJ as Alan & Dan were; while some of the jokes landed, BJ’s cartoonishness is a distraction rather than an asset. Lucy has the versatility to be great as a hyper spaz or an aloof airhead (Doc Martin y’all), so simply being an exaggerated slut undercuts her potential to enhance the show.

In the end, though, it was likeable enough and funny enough for me to come back for more.

By: Marcos

09.26.2012 @ 9:27 AM

Honestly, I don’t get the hostility towards ‘Ben and Kate.’ Admittedly, it’s not laugh out loud funny but there’s heart there. It seems like if a comedy isn’t jam packed with pop culture references, awkward moments or people being mean to one another, then it’s not “funny.” But to each their own, I suppose. I for one liked the pilot and believe it could be one of the better new shows of the new season.

By: Jon88

09.26.2012 @ 12:39 PM

The jury’s still out. I have a very low tolerance for characters defined mostly by their narcissism, but other things (the u-turn! who could have imagined!) worked for me. Willing to see which way it goes for a couple of weeks.

By: Matt

09.26.2012 @ 1:24 PM

This was in my opinion the best new comedy of the year. Great fit next to New Girl.

By: Ted Schmosby

09.26.2012 @ 5:17 PM

the responses for this show prove how subjective comedy is. people seem to hate this, but I thought it was definitely stronger than the mindy poopject. what’s even funnier is the lovefest people are giving mindy while downing this one for being “unrealistic and unfunny”…well, that should be the tagline for the mindy show, which I fell asleep on. I thought this had a fun dumb and dumber quality in many parts and I actually liked all the characters/actors. I hated everyone in mindy’s show for being so preeningly unbeliveable, not counting the guest stars that is

By: Michelle

09.26.2012 @ 1:36 PM

I didn’t like anything about it. I won’t be watching again.

By: SusieQ

09.26.2012 @ 1:38 PM

It didn’t make sense. Waitress? How cliche. And that house? And Volvo? Did she rob a bank? Why was the brother such a dimwit? It wasn’t funny at all.

By: TV

09.26.2012 @ 1:49 PM

Nay Faxon is not a leading man.

By: Stever

09.26.2012 @ 1:59 PM

Yup. He’s not Will Ferrell.

By: Dezbot

09.26.2012 @ 3:35 PM

I will give it a couple more episodes. I like the heart in it, even though it wasn’t that funny. I do, however, wish Nat Faxon would fix his teeth. Yeah, it’s shallow, but they bugged the heck out of me.

By: rayme

09.26.2012 @ 3:48 PM

I had the same reaction. It was really distracting.

By: Grimble

10.02.2012 @ 12:32 AM

As a Brit who wore braces later in life, I’m super sensitive to bad teeth, and boy, does Nat have a bad set. He has two rows on the bottom, like a shark. How can an actor who’s serious about his craft not worry about his teeth? It changed how is voice sounds, and all I could think about was the food that must get stuck in there… I bet he can’t get floss between some of those slats. Truly distracting.

By: Emmy

09.26.2012 @ 7:28 PM

Ugh. I thought it was horrible. I didn’t laugh once. I will take The Mindy Project instead.

By: Rob

09.26.2012 @ 7:29 PM

Wow, surprised by the hostility. I really enjoyed it. There were several genuinely funny moments (the three point turn was terrific) and the characters (and relationships) were well-established, a lot of ground covered in 30 minutes. I’ll keep watching

By: Shelley

11.08.2012 @ 7:40 AM

Can’t get past the teeth and not a funny show…big pass for me.

By: utahsasha

01.04.2013 @ 3:15 AM

I thought the show was okay… I couldn’t stop looking at Ben’s teeth though, geesh. The producer’s didn’t notice that? Whenever he talked that’s all I could look at. Sad, really.

By: CaliGirl

01.10.2013 @ 9:14 AM

I love this show! I’ve had to watch a LOT of TV after fusion back surgery and I found this show to be light, funny, and something I will be recording each week for sure.

By: Sara

09.05.2015 @ 4:17 AM

ABSOLUTLY LOvED THE 16 EPISODES this cast made!!!!!! Very sad it did not continue!!!!!!!! Love the whole cast especially Nat Faxon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!